Not the Same
by Tangerine342
Summary: Kairi would always be a dear friend that both boys would protect, but her bond with both of them was different from the bond that Sora and Riku shared. It just was not the same.


**Not the Same**

_Sora, Riku, and Kairi are friends. But Sora and Riku are best friends._

_Both of Sora's friends know that he would search the universe twice over if he had to find them. He already has once before, and would do it again in an instant if they went missing._

_However there are different priorities in his searching._

_Sora looks for the princess as his damsel in distress._

_Sora looks for his best friend as the one whose destiny is connected to his._

_Kairi is the girl on the island that you can kick back with and forget she's a girl sometimes. When she's in danger Sora will fight for her until it is safe again. When she's lost he feels relief when he finds her, because that's one less thing he has to worry about._

_Riku is different. You don't really have to worry that Riku's going to be hurt when he's missing. Maybe you have to worry about him getting himself in another stupid situation, but not hurt. Finding him after he disappears for Sora is like finding a missing limb or organ to put it strangely. It's something that he suffers without, but continues on anyway._

_After all it's more important to find his missing piece than to fret over the fact that it's missing._

_Sora loves both his friends dearly, but Riku and Sora have something that Kairi would never be a part of._

_Well, unless Sora's mom REALLY wanted another "baking adventure" in her kitchen._

_What seems like eons ago now, although it can't be more than 10 years, before Kairi had appeared, when the only girl little boys Riku and Sora's age wanted to talk to was their mommy. Two best friends made a promise that day over a large messy plate of pie, in a kitchen covered, wall and ceiling with flour. Neither of them had said anything. Neither had really been aware that there was any need for a promise; everything at that point was just sort of expected._

_They promised to be best friends until they died, and even then they were pretty sure they'd still be friends. Wherever one would go, the other would follow until they caught up. Then they would smile and laugh like always, going on mighty adventures bigger than anyone's wildest dreams._

**The Story**

After rising with the sun and running along with it all through the day until noon, two little boys of ages 5 and 6 were tuckered out, panting on the beach. Wooden swords forgotten in the sand, snacks left in the boat, the two were okay with just taking a rest in the sand, not caring at all about the sand and salt water sticking to their clothes. Both were "just taking a break" and "could still beat you in a race" but for now they were restoring their energy to continue their endless competitions into the afternoon.

It was only after looking to the horizon and seeing black clouds approaching, that the boys knew it was time to finish their island play.

By no means did that mean that their day of fun was ending. No, once they had sailed their way back to the main island they immediately ran to Sora's house. Another race of course which the adults could only decide was a draw so as to please or upset them both at the same time. Crashing in the front door Sora's parent's reactions were expected and opposite. His father laughed at the messy pile on the floor still fighting to be the winner. His mother sighed wondering why she ever bothered to clean.

Sora and Riku were quickly sent upstairs and given a bath that consisted of more bubbles than anything else, and when it was done there was more mud than white in the tub, and more bubbles than floor beneath them all. Towelled down to dry and dressed in dry clothes the boys began their plan for afternoon fun. By the sounds of rain pelting the windows heavily, they had plenty of time.

Before they had left the island, the daring silver haired elder suggested something that sounded like the most fun in the rain besides puddle jumping. So he and the little brunet had climbed trees with their bags and collected as many supplies as they thought they would need.

Once they got down the stairs Sora's mom told them that she had phoned Riku's mommy, and that he was allowed to stay until supper time or until the rain stopped. Sora and Riku cheered like the little monsters they were and their eyes lit up once they remembered the plan. Both ran to their bags and presented their treasures to mommy. The woman was certainly a little surprised at their proposal, but being the housewife she was couldn't say no.

Both little boys had a backpack full of paopu fruit, and they wanted to make a pie. After all, you could make pie out of apples, and blueberries, and cherries, and strawberries, and nectarines right? Those were all fruit, so how should this be any different?

It wasn't, except for the fact that no one had ever made a paopu fruit pie, so there were no recipes to make it. Well if a housewife, the mother of Sora, and on occasion play mother of Riku couldn't make the first paopu fruit pie recipe, then no one could. With this in mind the three trudged up to the kitchen and began the day's work.

One lesson was learned from this experience. Never let boys in the kitchen when experimenting with recipes. Or at the very least not Riku and Sora. Mommy had given them the usual small tasks such as stirring the wet ingredients together, rolling out the pie pastry, and so on. She hadn't accounted for their competitive behaviour finding its way into her kitchen. They had to make the best of everything, and in doing so made the worst. Sora had tried to make the recipe better by adding sugar to everything while his mommy wasn't looking. Riku had to win so he added cinnamon. Sora wanted to prove he could mix faster. Riku had to show off how he could press the dough flatter.

The first few attempts to come out of the oven were more likely to use the adjective questionable than scrumptious. Even so they were laid out to cool. However, when she got to the last two star shaped fruit, Sora's mom had to debate between and actual pie coming out, and giving her son and his best friend one last chance at a good time in the kitchen for the day.

While the boys weren't watching she began to get to work on the final pie. Neither of them noticed the betrayal until the dinger went off sometime later. That's because after cleaning up yet again they had started to sneak some of their own pie into their mouths. The magical pie had an interesting taste, but both boys liked it because they had helped make this one.

When the perfect looking pie came out, both boys hid the bits of pie missing by placing their forks on top hoping mommy wouldn't notice the large hole in it. Mommy saw, but she pretended not to notice as she prepared a slice of the pie for everyone.

Daddy loved it. In fact, he said it was the best pie he'd ever tried, and that Mommy could easily win any pie making contest with this. When he learned of the secret main ingredient, he said he couldn't think of anyone he would rather share his destiny and life with. Mommy had to agree that the pie was worth all the strife she had put up with that afternoon, and was very pleased with her creation and her husband's flattery.

The only two not pleased with the pie were the two little boys who had only to try one little bite and spit it back out to know something was wrong. It wasn't that the pie was bad; it just wasn't nearly as good as their pie. Their sugary, cinnamon packed, thin crusted, sloppy insided pie was much much better. After all, they had made it. Both left the table in the dining room saying they weren't hungry and snuck back into the kitchen.

They carefully placed their pie onto the kitchen table and pulled themselves up onto the chairs ready to continue eating the best pie ever. Neither parent thought much on it thinking the boys had run up to Sora's room to play make believe. When Riku's parents came to pick him up they were immediately given some of Sora's Mommy's perfect pie. They also agreed that it was amazing. Riku's mommy "just had to have the recipe" and Riku's daddy wanted "another slice please." However, once all the adult drivel was done it was time to take Riku home for supper despite the early dessert.

None of the parents were expecting to find Riku and Sora happily chatting away while eating what appeared to be a deformed pie. Both boys were caught off guard and tried to hide their mess of three empty pie plates. They weren't in trouble, save for the fact that they had completely ruined their appetite, but the parents asked why they didn't have some of Sora's mommy's pie. Neither had much of an answer, after all, you couldn't exactly tell mommy that their pie just tasted better to them. After a moment of thought Sora whispered his answer to his best friend Riku, who nodded thinking it was the most obvious answer.

"Ours were more magical." That was the only response they got. The parents thought it was cute and let it slide. It was silently agreed by all the adults to tell their children the legend of the paopu before bed time tonight. Perhaps it would explain the magic.

So Riku went home with his mommy and daddy saying he'd come to see Sora tomorrow morning, and that they could puddle jump all day, and go on adventures everywhere but inside. Sora had agreed and insisted that he take the last of their pies, and so Riku did with a giant toothy grin.

Nothing ever happened to really prove that Riku and Sora's pies had been more magical. However they were together every day until their separation by the darkness, and even then, destiny had eventually brought the two together again. All four parents never really had any adventures to test the strength of their pie's magic, but none of them were ever so close as Riku and Sora.

Sora loved both his friends Riku, and Kairi more than anything, but the connection between Riku and Sora was more special. No matter what happened Sora would always look out for the people most important to him. But his bond with Riku and what he has with Kairi. They just were not the same.


End file.
